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“It's no trouble at all. The crew doesn't usually arrive here until supper time. They come in one at a time or sometimes two. We can go over some of the rules and some of the information while you eat.” Sally should have said while we ate because she got herself a plate, too.

“Often when you go to a new field office, they will have a booklet for you telling you about the places to eat and other things that you need to know, but this one is too new, and we haven't gotten that yet. You'll work with Xantos, and he'll tell you what he knows, and eventually, everyone will figure it out. I've started gathering some of the information, but it's notenough to be of any use to you. That's another reason that we've been provided food for about a month. I'm sure you're aware that I am the office manager, and Xantos is the field manager.”

“I am, but I don't know much about either of you," Cindy Lou mentioned.

“You'll just have to make up your mind for yourself as you get to know us and the others at the office. Most of them are new. I can't tell you much. I’ve not even known Xantos for very long.”

“That must be hard working with another manager that you don't know. Or maybe you're one of those people who just enjoys getting out there in a new crowd and getting to know everyone? I'm a little too shy to do much of that, and once I'm cleared, I'll only have a partner to work with, and I'll get to know the rest of you a little at a time.”

“That's the best way to get to know people. I do need to warn you that some terrorists are working in this area, and you need to worry about safety above all else," Sally explained.

“Moe filled me in on most of that, and I've had some training in self-defense and even in fighting, but with a partner, someone will have my back, and I'll have theirs. I also have a panic button, and Moe said everyone in the field will be getting one. They may even hand them out to the people in the office since often you guys are in the office alone.”

Sally had to admit that that sounded like a good idea. There were times when people had been attacked, and they had found them when they hadn't come back, which could give those bad people time to cause a lot of damage. She did wonder why they hadn't told her that themselves and had left it to Cindy Lou to inform her. It was true that they were busy at headquarters, just like they were busy here. There was no point in worrying about it, so she wouldn't. Moe and Tyne had their own way ofdealing with things. They also had super-secret plans in place all the time, and even when a person was part of the plan, they didn't always know about it until the end.

She had to admit that it was nice to have someone to talk to, at least until the others started arriving and it got loud, and everyone was questioning who the new girl was. Sally just let Cindy Lou handle it as she quietly finished her breakfast. Most of the other people got their own plates, and she didn't have much to do until they all began to leave. Then she cleaned up the mess, and she and Cindy Lou talked. After that, the phone started to ring, and half the calls made no sense at all. Perhaps they were just trying to ensure she was there. If that was true, an attack was imminent. She was as prepared as she could be. She would have extra help, and her new friend had a panic button. Why that would make her feel better, she wasn't sure, but it did.

The calls had been almost nonstop until lunchtime, and she took the phone off the hook so she could sit down and eat lunch with Cindy Lou. That was when there was a knock at the door. Cindy Lou gave her a nod as she went to answer it with her hand on her Taser.

“Hello there. I'm new to this area, and I heard that food was available here.”

“You've been misinformed. We only cook for ourselves, and the boss does not allow us to sell to the public.” Sally informed.

“It's cold out here, so could I come in and warm up?”

“We don't know you, and this office is not open to the public.”

“Aren't you being harsh for a business?” The guy asked.

“I'm just following the rules. I didn't make them. Letting strangers in could make me lose my job, so I'm sure you understand that I'm not going to do that.”

At this point, he had given up being nice and tried to force his way in. She tasered him. When he fell, it was evident that he was not alone. She tasered the next guy, too. At this point, Cindy Lou had moved her way up to the door and tasered the third and fourth guy. It seemed they had enough because the rest of them ran away, leaving their fallen buddies behind. Not much loyalty in that group. One of them began restraining the guys who had tried to force their way into the building while the other one was on alert with their Tasers. They were a good form of protection, and the enemy had not yet found a way around them. Sally knew that they couldn't rely on them entirely and needed to be prepared for the possibility of fighting by hand or some other form of protection if they did find a way around the Tasers.

As they usually did, they called the state police, and with the guys who had fallen restrained and left where they lay, they locked the door in case anyone came back and sat down to have a glass of wine. Moe had known what she was doing when she had included this wine. It helped them relax, and it tasted like dessert, which was the kind of wine that she and apparently Cindy Lou liked. It was an hour before the police arrived, and they took their statements and dragged off the four miscreants. The police searched their pockets and handed the money over to the business, which had been disrupted because of the attack.

Since nothing had really been damaged, Tyne should be pleased. These attacks were still disruptive and sometimes caused people to quit because they were afraid that the enemy would win and because they didn't know what these guys would try next. So far, they have been losing every time, but that could change. By the time the others arrived, they were very relaxed.Everyone got their own supper because Sally didn't offer to get a plate for anyone. Cindy Lou got to explain about the attack. She had a little bit of a storytelling gene. She made it sound very exciting, as if life hung in the balance. That could have been true, but it hadn't been because at no time had the enemy had the upper hand.

Everyone got excited and applauded when she got to the part where they won and later when the police came and dragged them away. That was always her favorite part because then the enemy was gone, and she didn't have to deal with them anymore. She wasn't sure if they went to the state police prison or the paranormal one. It would serve them right to be in a paranormal prison surrounded by the worst of what the paranormal world had to offer. Sally wasn't sure if they could survive there, but she didn't really care because they were trying to kill her and the others who worked with her. Paranormals weren't affected by alcohol, but she wasn't a true paranormal, and she had a good buzz going. Maybe that had been a mistake, but if she made it upstairs and fell into her bed, she would sleep until the morning and stay out of trouble.

She almost made it to her room, and she was even in the suite that she shared with Xantos when he appeared out of nowhere and stepped in her way. “I feel bad that you were in danger again, but at least this time, you had someone here to help you.”

“I was fine and would have been fine even without Cindy Lou there. It was good to have her there because she made it sound like an exciting adventure, and I can't do that. Thank you for your concern, but I am exhausted and really need to get to sleep," Sally admitted.

“Just one more thing," Xanto said, and then he pulled her in his arms and gave her a sweet kiss that made her imagine things that she didn't need to.

He let her loose for a moment. She pushed away and hurried to her room. It seemed her buzz had worked itself out now, and she was completely sober and needy. It made it hard for her to fall asleep well, as she often found herself dropping into bed and sleeping instantly before she knew it. It was all his fault. She didn't understand why he'd done it. There was no way to figure out Xantos, and she was sure that he liked it that way. When she finally fell asleep, she was plagued with dreams of an evil man doing evil deeds. She hoped never to see him or be involved in anything that he was involved in. It worried her because there was something familiar about him, and she had a feeling that she would meet him someday. That wasn't something that she looked forward to.

It was morning, and she dragged her butt out of bed, getting ready and then hurrying to the kitchen to get breakfast going. She wasn't sure why she had taken on that job, but it seemed to make things easier for everyone she worked with, and that wasn't a bad thing. She knew she needed to make extra because they were expecting company. Sally had no sooner thought it than Harry appeared before her, and she almost jumped out of her skin.

“I love seeing you, but I wish I was more prepared for when you suddenly appear. Let me fix you a big plate of food for breakfast, and then we will discuss whatever it is you're here for.”

“I'm sorry that I startled you. You know that you are one of my favorite people ever, right?”

Sally knew that she was Harry's favorite whenever she was cooking food and feeding her. That was all right because she also knew it was essential to feed Harry so that she could do the important work that fell on her shoulders.

“It's alright. If things weren't happening around here, I probably wouldn't startle so easily. Here's your plate, and I'll fix mine, and then we can eat together.”

Harry squealed. “Biscuits and sausage gravy! I love this, and you gave me eggs and hash Browns, too. It must be hard to find this food out here. The only place I've gotten that before in Alaska is at Joey's, and she's rich.”